PARIS: MIPTV (International Television Programme Market), which claims to be the television industry’s largest and longest-running trade event, is looking to add glamour through music artistes from different Eurpean cities this month. 
Endemol Entertainment has chosen the international TV market as a platform to host the grand finale of its worldwide hit format Star Academy.
An official release informs that the format’s appeal was such that Endemol created a European version of the show entitled Eurobest. This will be transmitted live by TF1 on 25 March from the grand auditorium, Palais des Festivals.
Eurobest will gather winners from nine versions of the format: Fame Academy (UK), Operacion Triunfo (Spain), Star Academy (France, Belgium), Starmaker (Holland), Factory of the Stars (Russia), Operazione Trionfo (Italy), Fame Story (Greece) and Academia de Estrellas (Portugal), to compete against each other for the title of Best European Singer. The adjudicating body will comprise directors and teachers from the various Academy schools, whose collective votes will determine the Eurobest champion.
Endemol has already signed singers Lionel Ritchie and Mariah Carey as special guests on the show. The release informs that when Swedish distributor Strix acquired the Scandinavian rights to Planet 24’s Survivor during MIPCOM 1996 it marked the beginning of the formats explosion. Since then, the MIP markets have acted as a hub for numerous hit formats by providing a stimulating environment for international producers to brainstorm, explore global trends, and strike co-production or distribution deals.
MIPTV 2003 will also play host to a series of in-depth conferences and talks in relation to the genre, addressing key issues such as the return of the US formats business, and the art of pitching, whilst format mogul Gary Carter will act as special guest speaker and deliver a keynote on 'Coaching Creativity'.